


Jasmine and Peaches

by iam93percentstardust



Series: 1000 Ways to Fall in Love [3]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Identity Porn, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-05
Updated: 2019-09-04
Packaged: 2020-06-12 08:12:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,722
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19565362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iam93percentstardust/pseuds/iam93percentstardust
Summary: Steve is an alpha prince, betrothed to Anthony Stark of the neighboring kingdom. He wouldn’t have any problems with this except that he’s never met Anthony. When he’s finally allowed to travel to Anthony’s kingdom, he seizes the chance to meet the people he will one day rule over and travels in disguise. It’s a foolproof plan- right up until he reaches the palace and meets a beautiful omega named Tony.





	1. Chapter 1

Steve, the alpha prince of his kingdom, has been betrothed to wed the only son of King Howard Stark since the day Anthony was born. Anthony, an omega, is considered incapable of ruling on his own and so the _only_ option for Howard was to promise his son to an alpha and merge the kingdoms. Steve would probably be fine with this if it weren’t for the fact that he’s never even _met_ Anthony. Howard, paranoid and overly protective after his wife’s murder, has kept his son locked away in their castle, visible to no one, from the time Anthony was a baby.

But Anthony came of age nearly three years ago and the marriage hasn’t moved forward. Queen Sarah, starting to reach the age where she’d like to pass the throne on to her son, sends a message to Howard. She gently inquires after Anthony’s health, a polite reminder that the two princes are promised to each other. Howard responds quickly and it’s clear from the tone of his letter that he’s reluctant to let his beloved son leave but he agrees to allow Steve to visit his kingdom.

Eager to finally get to know the kingdom he will one day rule over, Steve travels in disguise with only two of his closest friends some days ahead of the main caravan. He loves it. It’s the most freedom he’s had since he was a small boy and he loves getting to stay with the farmers and the fishermen and asking them about their livelihoods and how much they love their small kingdom.

But then he comes to the city. He’s nearly a week ahead of the caravan. He supposes that he could circle back and rejoin the caravan but he doesn’t really feel like doubling back. He could also find a hotel in the city but he and his friends are running low on coins, having given most of them to the families they’d stayed with, so instead he makes his way to the palace.

It’s only once he reaches the palace gates that Steve realizes he’s still in disguise and traveling with only a few friends. No one will believe he’s the prince. So when the guards demand to know who he is, he claims that he’s the prince’s valet, there early to ensure that the rooms set aside for the prince will be to his liking. Beside him, Natasha snorts softly. Steve elbows her.

They’re greeted at the door by the head butler, who introduces himself as Jarvis. “You said Prince Steven sent you ahead?” he asks.

Steve abruptly realizes that his excuse also means that he can’t go by his own name. “Yes,” he says slowly, dragging out the word as he tries to think of something else to say. “I’m James, Prince Steven’s valet.” He figures Bucky, ensuring the safety of the caravan, won’t mind him using his name.

Jarvis narrows his eyes suspiciously but he doesn’t challenge them. Instead, he bids them to follow him to the rooms set aside for… well, for Steve.

What a mess.

Once they’re left alone, Natasha folds over in laughter. Steve collapses onto the bed. “Help me,” he moans.

Sam shakes his head. “You got yourself into this, _James_ ,” he says, a grin lurking in the corners of his mouth. “You’re gonna have to get yourself back out.”

“No help, either of you,” Steve hisses as he gets back up. “I’ll have you both beheaded.”

“You and what authority?” Natasha asks before she breaks into laughter again. “You’re not the prince.”

Steve leaves, thinking vaguely of approaching King Howard and begging for forgiveness. But he doesn’t actually know his way around the palace and he ends up hopelessly lost. He’s turning yet another corner when he, quite literally, runs into someone else. Automatically, he reaches out to steady them.

It’s only as the young man in front of him starts to brush himself off that Steve catches a hint of the man’s scent. He smells _wonderful_ like the peaches and cream the cooks serve for dessert in the summer and some flower that Steve can’t identify and he’s _gorgeous_ , all soft brown hair that Steve wants to run his fingers through and eyes the color of molten honey. And if the way the man’s eyes dilate slightly as he looks at him are any indication, he’s just as arrested by Steve as Steve is by him.

“Hi,” Steve breathes.

The man blushes prettily. “Hello,” he murmurs.

Steve notices he’s still holding onto the man’s arms. He quickly lets go, not wanting to seem too forward. For a second, the man sways toward him but then he straightens up.

“You must be new,” the man says. “I haven’t seen you before.”

Just before he opens his mouth, Steve remembers his cover story. “Valet!” he says hastily to cover up the fact that he’d nearly outed himself as the prince. The man, understandably, looks confused. “I mean, I’m the valet. The new valet. For Prince Steven. I’m James.”

Inexplicably, the man’s eyes dim the smallest amount at the mention of Steve’s name. He can’t help but wonder what he’s ever done to him to make him look like that. “I’m An-Tony. I’m Tony,” the man says.

“Tony,” Steve repeats. “I like that.” Tony glances down at his feet, smiling just a little. “Do you work here?”

Tony tilts his head. “For the prince,” he says though he doesn’t mention in what capacity.

Steve’s getting ready to ask what it is that Tony does when someone else enters the hallway behind him. “There you are, Y-”

Tony’s eyes go big and wide and he spins on his heel to face the newcomer. “Coming, Your Highness!” he calls.

This, then, must be Prince Anthony. Steve glances over Tony’s shoulder to catch a first glimpse of his betrothed. He’s sure that the prince is usually very pretty, even despite his what-looks-to-be-broken nose, with his sandy blond hair and brown eyes. But at the moment his face is twisted in confusion and he looks rather silly.

“What?” Anthony asks, gaze fixed on Tony. Then his face clears and he says, “Oooohhhh. _I’m_ the _prince_.” He nods slowly, still looking a little odd. “Yes, and it is good to be me with my servants and- and- and my gardens…?” He trails off at the end into a question.

Steve is terribly confused. He kind of wishes that he could see Tony’s face because he’s sure it would provide some answers. But Anthony says, “Come along,” and Tony goes, throwing one last look over his shoulder at Steve.

He is so fucked.


	2. Chapter 2

Tony throws himself face first onto his bed. “What is wrong with me?” he moans.

Clint pats his shoulder awkwardly. “There, there,” he says. “I’m sure it can’t be as bad as you’re thinking.”

He turns his face to the side so he can glare at Clint with one baleful eye. “I told the prince’s servant that I work for Prince Anthony. I told him that _you_ are Prince Anthony. What am I going to do when the prince actually arrives?”

“So it may not have been the brightest idea you’ve ever had,” Clint admits. He goes to sit next to Tony but trips over the hem of his pants and lands heavily on the ground.

“Aw, bed,” he laments.

Tony can’t quite manage to hide his giggle. Clint glares at him but there’s no bite to it. He stands back up, brushes himself up, bodily shoves Tony over so there’s room for him on the bed, and then settles down.

“You could just tell him the truth,” Clint points out.

“But then he’ll know that I was lying and then he’ll tell the prince and then the prince will think that I don’t want to marry him and then everything we’ve been working for will come crashing down and it’ll all be my fault!” Tony cries and dramatically buries his head in the pillows.

“Okay,” Clint says, completely unimpressed. “I think you may be overreacting, just a little. Just tell him you got flustered or something.”

Tony turns his head deeper into the pillows so his voice is muffled when he says, “But I liked him.”

“What?”

“I _liked_ him,” Tony repeats a little louder. “Clint, he smelled wonderful like- like I don’t even know what but he smelled like _mine_.”

“Oh Tony,” Clint sighs.

“What am I going to do?”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Set some twenty-one years before the main storyline
> 
> There has to be at least one universe where Howard loves Tony and I've decreed that this is it.

The thing about most children is that any parent worth their salt can tell what their child will present as. They won’t officially know until the child presents during puberty but there’s something special about the way a child smells to their parents. After they present, anyone can scent that special unique blend that marks a person but parents can smell it from birth. Of course, parents can still be mistaken; omegas can sometimes smell like leather and pine and alphas can sometimes smell like roses and strawberries- but it’s rare.

And so Howard knows the instant Anthony Edward Stark is born that his son will be an omega. There’s little else that this boy, who smells so strongly of peaches and jasmine flowers, can be.

His wife is too exhausted from the difficult birth to notice but he sees the physicians watching him worriedly. In this country, an omega firstborn is bad luck. They certainly can’t rule. He knows that his advisors will want him to try for a second child but he can’t. Anthony was hard enough on Maria. He won’t risk her life with a second pregnancy.

He looks again at Anthony- an old name, a family name. Anthony’s opening and closing his tiny fist, blinking placidly at all in sight. Slowly, the boy looks around him ( _like a prince surveying his kingdom,_ Howard thinks) and then sticks his tongue out and draws it back in like one of the desert lizards. Again, he looks around and sticks his tongue back out.

Howard laughs delightedly at the boy, who latches onto the sound and turns to face him. He burbles as well, blowing tiny raspberries at his father.

“Give him here,” he says and the physician passes him over. Howard cradles the boy in his arms and murmurs, “My boy. My precious, darling son.”

 _I will love you forever_ , he thinks.


End file.
